Losing a Brother
by animequeen78
Summary: Vergil tries to "correct a mistake."


Vergil entered his brother's shop, armed with his Yamato sword. He swung the door open. Dante bolted up and said, "What the hell do you want now, Vergil?"

Vergil's eyes were coldly fixed on his youngest daughter, Artemis. Then he replied, "I came to correct the mistake I made a long time ago."

Vergil hated Artemis ever since she was diagnosed with Autism, having believed she was "imperfect, unfit to live." However, her elder brother, Atticus felt very differently about the girl. He was attached to her to the point of dependency. They had both been abandoned since a doctor discovered Atticus had developed schizophrenia. Atticus was dependent on his little sister to maintain his sanity, and she depended on him for her protection from people that wanted to harm her.

Dante got closer to Vergil and said, "If you intend to kill her, I'm not letting you take another step closer." However, all it took was for Vergil to pinch a spot on Dante's neck to render him unconscious.

Vergil was lucky that Dante was the only one other than Atticus and Artemis in the shop at the moment. He took another step towards the 15-year-old pink-clad girl. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears of hurt from her father's desire to kill her. Her large, pink bow drooped with fear. She begged him, "Daddy, please... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to hate me... I love you..." "If you loved me, you would've been born perfect... or not be born at all." Vergil replied.

Vergil raised his sword, intending to kill the girl, ignoring her frightened whimpering. She curled up and closed her eyes, expecting to be slaughtered.

Then she heard the sound of metal making impact with flesh. She felt a warm spray of blood on her. What she didn't feel was the pain of being cut. That was when she opened her eyes.

Much to her greater horror, instead of her receiving the blade, it was her brother, her true guardian. Then she screamed, "ATTICUS! NO!"

The screaming woke Dante up. The first thing he saw when he woke up was his youngest nephew with the sword deep in his shoulder. He spoke, frightened, "Oh my god, Atticus!"

Vergil spoke rather harshly, "Atticus! What were you thinking?! Why are you so concerned with your sister?! She wasn't supposed to live!" Atticus responded, clutching the blade, "Because... I d-dont... I don't want to lose her!"

Vergil tried pulling the sword out of Atticus' hand, to no avail, and only resulting in Atticus' hand being cut into. Angrily he shouted, "Atticus! Let go of the sword!" "NO! Y-you'll *cough* k-kill her!"

Dante managed to call the Mental Health Department to take his brother. Then he pulled Vergil away and held him down. Dante said, "You need to stop, Vergil. These kids didn't deserved to be treated like this. They were made to be the way they are!" "NO! THEY ARE UNFIT TO LIVE! THEY"RE IMPERFECT! THEY CAN'T BE USED!" Vergil screamed.

A minute later, some men came into Dante's shop, placed Vergil in a straitjacket and put him in a van. Then they drove off.

Dante walked quickly to his youngest nephew's side, took some rags, and pressed them against the heavily bleeding wound. He assured, "Hey, it's okay. We're gonna take you to a hospital and-" "No..." Atticus interrupted. He continued, "It'll be too late... *cough* for them to come anyways..." "Atticus, please! You gotta hold on!" Dante pleaded. Then Atticus requested, "Hand me... to my sister..."

Dante put Atticus in his youngest daughter's arms. Artemis asked him, "Why did you let him kill you?" "I'd... I'd rather die a sane person... *cough* than live in an asylum out of loss..." Then he told her, "I promised I would protect you... even if it would kill me one day... My desire to protect you... was because... as I took care of you... I fell in love. I couldn't tell you because of what society would think..." He managed to get enough of the dying strength to get up and kiss his little sister on the cheek, before laying down again. "Atticus... I love you too, but not in the same way. I love you as a brother." Artemis said, weeping. Atticus responded weakly, stroking her face and trying to dry her tears, "I know... It's ok-kay, th-though. P-please don't... c-ry. At least... when I die... *cough* I will be... sane again..." Tears streamed down his face, as well as Dante's.

Then, Atticus held his sister's hand as he twitched some more. Then, he fell asleep for the final time, still clutching onto his sister's hand. His sister cried as she buried her face in Atticus' chest.

She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. It was Dante. He was crying too, because he loved Atticus like the boy was one of his sons. He pulled his autistic niece into a tight hug. Artemis screamed into her uncle's chest, saddened by the loss of her favorite brother. He would no longer be around for her birthday, for Christmas, for Halloween, or any other holiday that was significant to her. She would, however, remember the warm smile he always gave her when he saw her.


End file.
